Why is the price of new tonearms so high

Hi Axel, Pär, - well Pär is on the right track.
The counterweight do act in both modes to balance the tonearm.
In the static mode it additionally determines the VTF.
BUT - and this is the one big point - when the counterweight determines the VTF the tonearm itself is no longer balanced......
Pär's idea with the high school force vectors is leading the way.
The rest is to be added by and when our friend and final authority has finished his breakfast.
Cheers,
D.

OK, quickly before breakfast is over.
>>> - when the counterweight determines the VTF the tonearm itself is no longer balanced......<<<
Neither is it once VTF with a spring is applied. Just that one un-balancing force in 'gravitational' and the other 'non-gravitational'.

Now take ~ 1g VTF (in the case of a Shure V15 cart, Empire, etc.) and we start splitting a fleas ...hair.
A.
OK, let's see what gives after breakfast :-)

Hi Axel,...... sorry, but you are not entirely correct here.
Do not mix static balanced with dynamic balanced.
Even with the spring VTF applied (no matter if 0.75 mN or 5 grams...) the tonearm is still dynamically balanced on this and any other planet with decent gravity.
Everything here is about the dynamic behaviour in movement - looking just at the static mode its looks as if tehre is no difference......... but there is a big one once the spring-mass-system of the cantilever/tonearm gets into action.......
As I do not want to fall back in my prior dogmatic behaviour - which was critizsed for good reason and which has stepped on so many less egomanic toes - I gladly leave the stage for others to shine a light here.
Halcro - am I doing better....?.
Cheers,
D.

D. very well,
no need for lengthy scientific discourse.

How about some info on the world-wide-web?
If there's something, excellent. If not, I guess we ARE being a bit esoteric then.

It gets also back (for me) to the placement of the pivot, to be EXACTLY at record (surface!) level, plus the CW's mass in line with this pivot, in line with the stylus, in line with the whole mass distribution of it all. Oh, yes Sir!

Nothing wrong with this at all, but which 'arm ACTUALLY will have this all sorted (other then Raul's when it's finished...)?

Like the PERFECTLY proportioned human, according to Leonardo da Vinci...
A.
PS: Don't tell me the FRs go this all sorted... and we lost it all over the last 30 years :-)

Hi Axel, its not a lengthly scientific discourse at all.
Its very easy and fast to describe in 3-5 sentences.
As for the bearing-in-horizontal-line-with-stylus-thing......
When in horizontal line?
By correct applied and groove-compliant VTA.......
Or in static state with armpipe horizontal.....
Or with cantilever in a certain angle while tracking......

Most 12" tonearms do indeed have their bearing in line with surface level when the VTA is groove-compliant and the cartridge isn't with very little or very large outer dimensions.

Another nice episode of the endless struggle theory vs practice......
Funny isn't it?

Cheers,
D.